Horrible rear view camera
 

Anyone having problems with their rear view camera being blurry? This is a picture taken to show my screen but not sure if it will do any justice. In this picture I can barely see the sidewalk on the bottom right of the screen. I also checked to see if there was any dirt/debris/salt on the camera itself on the trunk lid but it's clean.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....cc84a95d5.jpeg

Dude best name on the .org

The camera is pretty bad quality compared to other cars. I think what makes it look worse is the large screen, so given the same resolution, it looks more grainy. I'll try to pay attention at night next time. I noticed the poor camera quality on the test drive and bought a different maxima with the same poor camera quality.

That's bad. My aftermarket Eclipse back up camera installed 6 years ago is 10 times better than that garbage.

Wow! That looks bad. It must be partly because it is at night. When I am backing out my drive, my rear view camera is so clear I could spot a ladybug on the pavement. At my age, my neck is very stiff, so I use the backup camera every time I am in reverse. I love it. But I drive mostly in the daytime, and the pavement of my driveway is new and very smooth. Next time I am out at night, I am going to check my rear view camera. I hope it is clearer than the one shown here.

When the camera is on, try tapping the screen. A camera menu option should pop up. Hopefully you can fiddle with the settings to get it clear. My camera is quite clear as you can see. Good luck.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....fbb269d98d.jpg

The camera on my wife's '14 Altima is pretty punk, too, but the object with these things is to alert you to big chunks of things behind you ... people, bicycles, other cars, etc. Not to give you a detailed picture.

And as someone else pointed out, the image quality is going to be far worse at night due to lack of light.

It seems like a small thing, but an extra $10 for a higher-res camera adds up when you're manufacturing millions of cars. $10 here for the camera, $15 dollars there for better knobs for the A/C controls, $100 for higher-quality leather seat surfaces, $20 for better plastic on the console, etc., etc. Before you know it, your car is now $1,500 higher than your target price ... and the competition.

We sometimes wonder why car mfr's don't so a little better on this or that, but they have to nit-pick every single nut and bolt to control costs. It's a tough business.

OP, you might want to consider upgrading your backup lights - that would help.

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Imagine what he'd do for $50.00! :D

I just wanted to know if all maxima rear camera are as horrible. I will ask to sit in another max when I pick up my plates and will verify myself. If so on to the service department

I'll take a look tonight and post a pic of my rear camera for you to compare. One thing I've noticed so far is that the lens seems to be a water magnet.

I took a look at my back up camera after seeing this post. Mine is as clear as day! That pic that you took looks similar to my 2015 Durango. Probably the only thing I dislike about that thing.

I wouldn't want to watch a video recorded with it, but I can see pretty clearly whats behind my car.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/maxima....69a7061380.jpg

Camera is just OK, not great
 

The resolution is poor quality, but passable. At night the image is grainy. My 2013 Lexus has a much better quality camera, but I like the Maxima functionality of the 360 view on my Platinum better.

Mine looks like yours when there is not a lot of lighting at night...

Wipe off the camera lens at the top of the license plate. Sometimes it gets covered in dirt. Hope this helps.

That is very bad. My 2010 Maxima camera is much more clearer than that. There has to be a way to adjust the image for a better/clearer picture.

Cool!

Agreed. My backup camera is much clearer than what has been posted. I would say either the lens is dirty OR perhaps the dealership applied some wax to the car and didnt properly remove the residue from the lens. I would suggest cleaning it with a little rubbing alcohol to be sure, but the camera should be much sharper than what is posted!

Agreed. My back-up camera gives me a very clear view. As an octogenarian who can no longer turn my head and look back, I trust that camera (and my other mirrors and sensors) implicitly.

Snap a picture of yours when you get a chance. There seems to be a difference of opinion, or a difference in cameras!

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My camera seems to be clear, but the slightest rain and water drops on it makes me feel like I'm in a damn sub.

I've noticed that in a well lit parking lot, the camera is nice and clear. But in darker areas, it gets fuzzy really quickly...

Is it possible there is a clear plastic film on the lens? It may not have been removed from the factory. I've had to remove it from 2 other cars in the past.

Clarity of backup camera at night
 

Alright, among the other suggestions in this post I can tell you that the amount of ambient light at the time of using your backup camera is a huge factor on how clear the picture is. If your backup lights are dirty or just not bright enough the picture will not be clear at night. I have a dark driveway with no lighting. My backup camera has marginal clarity in my driveway. At a well lit parking lot like a Walmart parking lot it is very clear at night. So if you need better vision in your backup camera at night you may want to install brighter backup lights. That will help considerably.

Not as good as the Altima
 

I turned in my 2014 leased Altima SV, and the camera resolution was so much better than my Maxima. As someone said, it may be, in part, to the larger screen, but I immediately noticed the big difference when test driving it (a different car than what I bought, and both had bad res.).


Don't get me wrong, I can see what's behind me, but it clearly appears "out of focus".


Is this something that can be easily upgraded with a higher res camera?

Since the resolution is fine during the day (when lighting is good), I would first make sure both backup lights are clean and working, then probably try brighter backup light bulbs before considering a camera change.

Thanks lightonthehill - I've got some LED backup and license plate bulbs I plan on installing this week. Let's see if that helps.

What White Fox says.

I have a '17 Maxima and ambient light makes a huge difference. Ever take a photo or video with you cell phone camera in a dark lot at night? Just as poor; probably worse.

My 2016 back up camera is a magnet for water drops. Only cure that I've found is to clean it regularly. I also find that the image quality is poor overall especially in this day. Even in daylight, it's pretty crude.

The backup camera on my escape was just as bad at night. I will tweak the setting for the Maxima and live with the night image. The rest of the cars feature certainly outweigh the the grainy night time image.

just my .02 cents

A bit better
 

After upgrading my license plate and back up bulbs to LED, imaging is a bit better at night. Still a bit grainy, but at least a little more color to the picture. Before the upgrade, and with no ambient light, you would swear the screen was monochrome!!

Absolutely agree. My Maxima is the best and most fun car I've owned sine my very first one.

It's not the camera it's the software and or screen.

Just hooked up a 2016 Camaro rear camera on my Maxima and the result is the same quality.
Video is slightly warmer but overall video is the same.

The camera quality from my 16 Camaro is Crystal clear and super easy to see.
My Nissan camera quality is severely lacking in quality.
Pure garbage compared to my Camaro.

I’ve noticed when you slightly press brake it will get clearer. Maybe it has focus or something.

My 2018 Maxima back up camera is just so so
 

My 2016 Altima had a much sharper image. I'm wondering what the screen resolution is on the dash monitor. Maybe both camera and screen are less clear. It's not a deal breaker for me, but it is a little disappointing.

One thing I have noticed that on cool or cold days the moisture from the exhaust will condense on the lens of the camera and result in a blurry image. Not a problem on warm days.

It's more in the processing of the video where the issue is.
Like I said in a earlier post, my 2016 Camaros back up camera video is great. When I removed the camera and connected it to my Maxima the image was warmer and had no wide angle distortion. When I connected the Maximas' camera to my Camaro it looked just as clear as the standard camrao camera. just had the wide angle video but Crystal clear. Definitely as software/ processing issue on the Maxima.

My '17 SL looks just like yours' when there are no street lights or parking lot lights to help the situation. Now with security lighting in the area mine is pretty darn sharp, although not HD. It is sharp enough in daylight; no probs. Typically resolution with any camera stinks shooting into the dark. In dark or daylight conditions my Max camera is at least as good as my wife's 2014 Malibu or our late model Corvettes. I have a friend with a Lexus 350 and his camera at night in an unlit area looks just as crappy as yours does. Take a picture while good LED parking lot lights or street lights are lighting the area behind your camera and post it up. It will probably look fairly good, unless your camera is on the fritz. One thing that may help is brighter back up lights. Anyone there try brigher backup lamps back there?

My 2016 SR camera was really clear. I think the updated units that came in 2017 to current have worse picture quality. My 2019 now has 360 cameras. But they appear to be a little glitchy, grainy, and fuzzy in comparison. Will try changing the settings while camera is being used and see if any improvement is made.

Wow, 360 cameras? Where in the heck are they all located? Must add a few seconds to your 0-60 times! Sorry, could not help myself. My mind works weird like that. :-)